Chris Walsh When Will They Ever Learn? Is the warmly funny and often poignant true story of a young man in his first teaching post as he wrestles with the final hurdle to fully qualified teaching status the probationary year. His arrival at Colne Valley High School in the West Riding of Yorkshire in August 1972 sets the scene for an unforgettable series of triumphs and disasters at the hands of a variety of pupils, colleagues, friends and the pretty local girl who walked unexpectedly into his life. 'This nicely titles book takes us along the first faltering steps of a newly trained teacher,...

The Practice of Reading is a lucid and lively examination of the art of interpreting the novel in the context of recent developments in literary theory and criticism. Believing that reading is - or should be - a pleasurable, creative activity, the authors analyse a range of seven novels from the eighteenth century to the present, focusing upon the experiential dimensions of the reading process. What is the role of the reader? What happens when a novel is read? How far does meaning depend on the reader, and how far on the text? These and other related questions are explored in...